Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The time is drawing to an end for the voting. We only have till September 10th to get our votes in and then we will find out in October what placement we have each received! So here are the links once again so you can place your vote for your VERY FAVOURITE bear to win BEST IN SHOW!

It's hard to believe that it's almost fall already but I can tell you that the production this summer at Seraphim Bears Studio has been fabulous! I am wrapping up all the loose ends now for the bear hug created for the Teddy Bears On Vacation show this November and am on to the christmas online show that I will be hosting. I am really excited to be able to have a few bears ready for on line adoption for those of you who will be unable to travel to Canada for the show.

I am also now starting to get things ready for Christmas gifts for my family. I am usually way further ahead than this when it comes to those things but with the bear show I have not even begun my family items. I have some lovely ideas however and will post the photos directly after the holidays as I know that some of my family is looking on this blog to see if they can get a sneek peek prior to the Santa's visit! You Naughty little pixes!

Anyway, time to run now and get to work but here are all the links once again to PLACE YOUR VOTE!

Thank you to all my voters! WE PLACED!!!!!!

Here is the YouTube video link so you can see all the bears that have placed in thier categories. NOW ITS TIME TO PLACE YOUR VOTE FOR YOUR BEST IN SHOW ALL ROUND FAVORITE BEAR!

Your choice Seraphim bear is STEVIE

If you like STEVIE best of all the entries just click her button and place your vote! You have till SEPTEMBER 10th to make your final vote and help STEVIE become the Bell of the Ball!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Well, look what we found (my Mother and I)! Finally I have found the documentation to prove that my Grandmother worked in the factory in England prior to the war making teddy bears! I have mentioned this to many and had a few uncertain looks when I could not answer to the name of the factory at which she worked. We have since been looking for 2 years now to try to find this information. We contacted the remaining family of my grandfathers in England but all of my grandmothers family are gone and his family weren't sure. Then we tried Ancestry.com and just prior to me almost hiring some serious help from them I received a phone call from my Mother to say she found this letter! It is exactly what we needed to show that indeed my grandmother was a bear maker, learned and worked in England and then continued to create all through her life.

I then began to research more on the factory itself. This was very difficult to find any information on. However through the magic of blogging I did find a gentleman who had just recently gone to walk along Purdy High Street in London and I thought I would take a chance and ask him, this complete stranger, if along his travels he had seen this factory which seemed to be located on this street according to the address located on the letter.

He was very kind and not only wrote me back with fairly extensive information concerning the street and the fact that the building in which the factory had been was recently torn down ( to me utter dismay) but also took the time to find me a photo of the factory taken a year or two prior to my grandmothers arrival at the factory! How fabulous is that!

So now I not only have a letter but also a photo of the factory, located on the left hand side of the street just past the church, to show exactly where my grandmother worked. How wonderful to see with my own eyes the place where her journey through bear making began and in essence my journey also! How touching to see that she not only worked there for several years but was dearly loved by many there (not a surprise of course but truly touching to read).

I was so thrilled to find this information I just had to share it with you all! I hope you enjoy this as much as I and thank you for you patience in me coming up with the hard evidence to prove where she worked. At first I was a bit put off that some thought I was not being honest but in the end... look what a treasure I have found that might have been lost forever had I not NEEDED to find the truth about her work history in this field!

Oh and on one final note... if you took the time to read the letter....

My grandmother was married to my grandfather since that very wedding day that is spoken of.

They travelled the world together, had two children and loved each other till the days they died.

She was indeed very happy! As a matter of fact even through her alzheimer's she never forgot my grandfather and often said how much she missed him...

Finally they are together again and most likely still travelling the world and deeply in love!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Well, yesterday was my 5th year anniversary. My J and I have been together and inseperable for 10 years but "officially" five years. About two weeks ago he gave me a beautiful key necklace to wear. He said it was the key to his heart and that now I could be just like my bears with the little key on my neck. He also mentioned that this was my anniversary gift but he could not wait to give it to me. I was absolutely thrilled to have it early and am wearing it often.

Now yesterday was the actual date for our anniversary and we both came to work empty handed. I am taking him on a trip to a theme park so he knows this already. His mother showed up with gift and card to say happy anniversary to us. We both say to each other..."oh? Is it today?" And everyone laughs, hugs and kisses. All is well as we both know that we both remembered earlier so nothing was forgotten, nothing has gone amiss.

About an hour or so later I go into the back room where we do all the filtering and stabalizing of the wine and J asks me to get him his list out of his briefcase (we are big list people) as he just remembered something new he needs to add. I open the case and there is a card for me! Yipppeeee! I thought it so sweet that I would still receive this card on the day. As I pick up the card I notice a little box from Ben Moss! I take the box out of the briefcase and all the while saying "no, no, no... you already got me the key to your heart!" "Okay" he says..."I'll take it back." hahahahaha

I open up my sweet card and then onto the box... I have to tell you, J is a heart guy. He loves hearts. The first thing he ever purchased for me when we were courting was an interlocking silver heart bracelet. I still love and wear it often. So back to the box... I slowly open my "earings" only to find the prettiest heart shaped diamond ring I think I have ever seen. Knowing how much I love chocolate (I am sure I have mentioned this on my blog before) there are also three choclate diamonds in the centre of the heart! It is so pretty and I feel like a real princess. This man makes me feel so loved and want to let the world know that I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Of course I had a secret hidden up my sleeve also. We arrived home from work only for him to go out to do some further business as he is a graffic designer on the side. While he is gone I am getting my dress on, my key and new ring. I do my hair and makeup and sit at the computer, mid summer with a snuggie blanket wrapped around me so he cannot see what I am wearing when he arrives back home. I am watching the time as I have made dinner reservations at the best restaraunt in town. When he arrives back he comes into the computer room as usual and tells me of the trials of this job he has to do. I say "Well, that is all well and we will have more time to talk later..." throw off my snuggie and he says (with a scream) "Where are you going? Why are YOU all dressed up". I laugh and say we have dinner reservations at Earl and Angelo's in about 15 minutes. I can see the steak flashing before his eyes as he runs out of the room to get his jacket!

What an absolutely wonderful evening we had.

I have not had a drink in over 5 years. Not because of anything related to alcohol but I was ill for three... long story ... I felt dizzy so I did not drink. Last night I made it through 3/4 of a martini and it was fabulous! THE BIG APPLE was the name and Yum Yum!

Oh and did I mention that I am tracking my weight right now... hahahahah well that's okay. Now it's off to see my Mum for the weekend and see Paul McCartney live in concert! I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

To my J.... I love you more today than yesterday and less than I will tomorrow!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Just a quick note to say that things are heatin' up here at Seraphim Studios. With only a mere 3 months till the Teddy Bears on Vacation show I am starting to do the final touches on the new hug of bears that will be attending the show with me. I also started three new ones last night, and a few have a friend and come as a set. I also have a new little friend to offer you all that is a bear bud and a nice pocket size to fit in your quilted tea cups.... did I say quilted tea cup! If you saw the Alice set of bears you will have seen the new quilted tea cups and I will also be offering those at the coming show!

There are bags and certificates to make, table layouts to plan, stuffing tags to tack onto each bear, ATC's to be made and little final checks to be done but all in all it is going well. I think the show is going to be a great experience and I feel ready. I have counted yesterday and once the bears that I have just started are completed I will have 23 bears ready for the November show. I also hope to have enough bears to offer a small online Christmas show for all my online followers.... how very exciting indeed!

I also have some more good news: We got pulblished in the "Most Wanted" section of the Fall 2010 edition of Teddy Bear and Friends magazine! You have seen these two bears here before and Dot has already been adopted but Stevie will attend the show this holiday season.

So I really thought I would post some photos of the new hug but I think I will not and will keep them as a surprise for you all this coming season.

I will however let you know that I will be participating in a FREE giveaway of one of my bears through Bears and Buds magazine online starting in September and ending October 31st - Halloween ooooooooo! I LOVE the little bear that will be up for your FREE adoption and hope you will also. I will post all the links when the time comes.

Heres a hint: The giveaway bear is based on the touching and fabulous award winning film "UP".

TOBY 2012

TOBY 2011

Welcome to my blog! My name is Michele Seraphim and I am a teddy bear artist. My bears are made of mohair, alpaca or viscose and all made in the olde world way. I am here to share my world, spread my wings and hopefully encourage you to do the same. Thank you for coming by to spend some quality time with me!